I'm waiting for a phone call. I was thinking I'd write this post after said phone call happened. But I can't wait around for news because it's far too nerve-wracking and I only have a couple more hours until my work day is over and the door in my office flies open and I'm back to being mom and mama and mommy and why isn't the phone ringing? The phone was supposed to ring this morning and it's now late morning and WHAT IS HAPPENING. Coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee. Pictures, pictures, pictures, pictures. (I dropped my camera and the lens exploded hence the instagram explosion. Apologies!)

(No phone call yet, by the way.)

We started watching American Idol this season. Much like with Instagram and iphones, facebook and twitter, I REFUSE to join "the club" until I give up and end up becoming president of the facebooktwitteriphoneinstagramamericanidol fan club. Which I officially am. I am the last person to become ____'s biggest fan. And it's totally embarrassing but there you have it. American Idol, woooo!

At first the kids were super into the show. Especially the whole, "You're going to Hollywood!" part which has recently become their go-to phrase for anything involving singing.

...Until last week when Hal and I found ourselves alone, a baby in each of our arms, bawling our eyes out, as Archer and Fable played in the other room because apparently we are watching it for us, as in Hal and me.

"I can't believe they live in a tent!"

"I can't believe her husband left her with three children and a pocket of shattered dreams!"

Cue: Hal and I in the fetal position, rocking back and forth...

(Still no phone call.)

We planned to take the kids downtown on Saturday for a super awesome afternoon of family, fun and family fun but we (once again) never made it out the door. Which is what happens every weekend and then I spend the day apologizing to Fable for not making it to the public library downtown and Archer for not making it to the grassy knoll outside the public library downtown (where he likes to watch the traffic lights).

Instead, we camped out on our grassy... knoll and Archer drew his own roads with sidewalk chalk and the kids biked around on the pavement while Bo and Revi watched from across the lawn.

Both babies fell asleep in their bouncy chairs and I napped on a towel at their feet until Archer and Fable crashed into each other on their bikes and woke us all up. And then we had a picnic and Fable ate all of the ice cubes out of my iced coffee when I wasn't looking.

It will ring when you least expect it... or maybe Archer give you a heads up when it's going to come... but it will and I'm sure it will be good news. I seriously can't get enough of that traffic installation art that Archer is perfecting. He's too cool!

I'm still enjoying plugging through all the comments from that last post on my iphone when I have an idle moment... super interesting conversation!

That first photo of Archer & Fable outside with their bikes saddened me a little, the biggies just always have to accommodate the littlies changing the plans hey? Mine are the same and I remember having to do the same for my little brothers.There's no injustice in it and no real reason to be sad (latent parental guilt on my part I guess), it is what it is: it's Family.Yours is beautiful.

You have green grass! Phone call be damned, I'm so jealous of you getting to go outside without putting on 18 bajillion layers of coats hats scarves boots long undies sweaters snowpants wool socks and more.

Don't feel guilty about not getting out every weekend... we are struggling with that too (but we have one less kid) and it seems like the kids find ways to have fun anyway. I think it's more for us than them. Anyway, hope you get good news when that phone finally rings.

I too am waiting for a phone call. On my own Steve. Freaking out. So would love it if you wanted to join my club. I am calling it "holyshitholyshitholyshit we're really doing this? WE'RE REALLY DOING THIS!!!"

Your grassy area is oh so green! Nice! That's what family is about. You don't have to go very far to have an enjoyable family day, and that day hanging outside with the kiddo's and Hal seems like a perfect family day! Enjoy!

Dammit, I hope you aren't STILL waiting. Sheesh. (Like Mama Smith says above, maybe Archer will tell you when it's coming). Also, I want you to have neatened up the pantry before you snapped that pic of Fable in the kitchen. Because it'd make me feel better, OK?

I notice that a lot of Fable's photos are of her: drawing, or painting, playing with clay, and now jewelry-making. She seems to like being artistic. And Archer: A-car-loving-traffic-controller/world thinker. I like it. ;o)

Love the photo of Archer's traffic-jam, with Fable's beads, discretely thrown into the mix. Both their world's silently intertwining.